R I P
by HatedLove6
Summary: Ritsuxoc Shigure tricks Ritsu into going to some parlor/inn place and live there for a few months... but it's for women only. To make it worse he has to room with a woman who is sometimes bipolar. What will happen? How will Ritsu survive? On HIATUS, sorry
1. Reiko Rasoshi

Hilo everyone! This is obviously another Fruits Basket story and, again, it's taking place after everyone is released from the curse. Most of my Fruits Basket stories are going to be like that, sorry if you don't like it.

I sort of want this to be a romance-comedy, but it really depends on the person to decide if it's funny or not so I can't really do that, in my opinion. I hope you enjoy it otherwise.

Here's a quote:

"My inner child is a mean little fucker."

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R. I./P. 

**Chapter 1**

It was a nice sunny day. The normally brightly colored birds were changing their outer appearance to prepare themselves for the coming winter to keep warm. The wind brought the cold and soon it would be winter. It didn't mean that people got to stay inside though.

A man with light, honey-brown hair, hurried to his destination carrying three traveling bags. He had received a call from a certain someone to come meet him and to pack his bags. The man wore women kimonos so it took a little longer to get to the person's home, but he made it on time.

"I'm here Shigure-niisan!" Yelled a frantic Ritsu. "I'm so sorry I'm late! I shouldn't have wasted your valuable time! Even with every word I speak is wasting your precious time! I'm so sorry! I'm sorry to the-"

Before Ritsu could apologize any farther, Shigure used the 'magic touch' and pushed on Ritsu's side. Ritsu calmed down immediately and sat, slumping a little in his overwhelming shame. "Now, did you pack just like I asked you to?"

"Yes," Ritsu said with tears in his dark brown eyes. "I understand. All I have been is a nuisance and you want me to go far away." Ritsu abruptly sat up straight and yelled, "I'm sorry! I have been a burden to everyone! I'm sor-"

Shigure used the 'magic touch' again and Ritsu sat back down. "Not at all Ritchan,"

Shigure said. "I wanted you to pack because I wanted you to relax."

"Relax? How?" Ritsu asked. He obviously didn't catch the scheming in Shigure's voice.

"You're going on a trip for nine months to the Relaxation Inn/Parlor that just opened up!" Shigure exclaimed with a grin and pulling out a brochure from the sleeve of his yukata (or is it kimono?)

Ritsu carefully took it and looked in it. In the front was the picture of the entire center building. It was four stories high and probably held fifty rooms on each floor. "Oh Shigure-niisan, I can't accept this! I'm not worthy of such an elegant and glorious place! And I can only imagine the cost?! I can't! I'm not worth this much!"

"Oh hush now Ritchan! You need it and it looks like fun. You should go!" Shigure said, taking the brochure back quickly. "Now hurry to this address or you'll be late for my gift to you."

"But Shigure-niisan-"

"Oh," Shigure said, turning around. "I see. You don't like my gift. Is that it?" Shigure faked a sniffle.

"Oh no no no no no! It's not that at all! I absolutely love it! I'll go for you," Ritsu said, feeling guilty.

"Great!" Shigure said, smiling as if he hadn't been sad a moment ago. "Now you better hurry before you're late!" He rushed Ritsu out of the door and shoved a ticket in his hands. "Bye!" Shigure said before slamming the door shut.

_That was weird_, Ritsu thought._ I wonder why Shigure-niisan was acting so strangely?_ Ritsu was walking toward the address and saw the logo to the parlor on the side of the bus. _I guess that's my transportation._

He walked up to the bus and handed the driver the ticket that Shigure gave him. The driver hole punched it and gave it back to Ritsu. He was assigned to seat E4 and so he sat, putting his bags under his seat. He wondered how long the drive would be since it was a different kind of bus. It had a toilet in the back.

Ritsu looked around the bus and saw that it was about half full, with only females in it. _Well it IS a parlor,_ Ritsu thought to himself. _Of course there would be mostly women._

Ritsu waited patiently as the bus grew more crowded with giddy women. Ritsu decided to read a book to pass the time.

A few minutes later he felt someone sit next to him. It was a woman and out of instinct he scooted away from her.

The woman noticed and said, "I could try to switch tickets if you don't want me to sit next to you."

"I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend you! I'm sorry! I'm sorry to the world!" Ritsu yelled and kept yelling and spazzing out. Some people looked over to see what was going on.

The woman didn't know what to do and she noticed the attention it was gathering. "It's ok. Really, it's ok. You didn't offend me or anything so there's no need to apologize," she said, smiling a little.

"Please don't waste your kind words on my worthless self! I deserve punishment for offending someone so kind! I'm sorry!" Ritsu was in panic and was crying.

_Now I know why she needs this trip_, the woman thought. She didn't know how to calm the energetic Ritsu down, but she kept trying so she couldn't get anymore embarrassed because of all the staring. "Please calm down. It's really no big deal. Just stop your crying and calm down and let's talk. Doesn't that sound good?" The woman was also trying to control her temper that was slowly rising.

"You wouldn't want to talk to me!" Ritsu just couldn't get himself to accept that someone actually didn't mind his presence and even wanted to engage in a conversation with him. No one had really showed him that before and he was a complete stranger to her. Sure he had visited Ayame, Hatori and Shigure before, but they had all only played jokes on him. Hatori didn't participate in the jokes of course, but he didn't make things any better for him either.

The woman couldn't take it anymore and snapped. "CALM DOWN NOW AND STOP APOLOGIZING!!!"

Ritsu shut right up and stared, wide-eyed, at her.

The angry woman glared at the other staring people and they turned back around, facing forward. She pinched the bridge of her nose and took a few cleansing breaths. When she felt that she had calmed down enough she asked, "What's your name."

Ritsu was still a bit scared, but he didn't want her to yell or be angry anymore because of him. "Ritsu. Sohma, Ritsu."

_Isn't that a guy's name?_ The woman thought to herself. The woman took another cleansing breath and said, "My name is Reiko Rasoshi. It's very nice to meet you." She held out her hand to Ritsu.

Ritsu shook her hand hesitantly at first and then replied, "It's nice to meet you too." In no time they were smiling with each other as if that embarrassing situation didn't hadn't happened at all.

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End of Chapter 1 

Hilo again! So should I continue with this? Is it good? I need your opinions people! Please review.

I'm sorry that I overdid it with the Ritsu apologizing thing, I just thought it would be a little funny to do it that way. Plus it really allows his confidence problem to stand out.

I'm really sorry if there are grammar or spelling mistakes, but I started typing at two in the morning so give me a little slack.

Here's a quote:

"Don't hit kids! No, seriously. They have guns now."


	2. Reiko's my Roommate!

Hilo Everyone! I'm glad I got reviews for this story on the first chapter. I thank Annick-Sabine and KaidaThorn. If something's wrong just let me know. I already know that something's wrong with the first chapter and I'll fix it later. Please read and review.

Here's a quote:

"Why don't you ever see the headline 'Psychic Wins Lottery'?"

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Chapter 2 

The bus finally moved forward for their destination. There were six buses going to the Relaxation Inn/Parlor, each carrying about forty people. _Well at least with Ritsu-san here it'll be interesting,_ Reiko thought. _I'm still going to wring their necks when I get back though._

Ritsu looked around the bus and realized he was the only male on the whole bus. _It IS a parlor after all,_ Ritsu reminded himself. _There'll probably be guys on the other buses._ Ritsu was getting a weird feeling like everything wasn't right, but he ignored it and just kept telling himself that the trip was a gift so he had to accept it. To help ignore the feeling he talked with Reiko. It seemed that they were friends and Ritsu was very glad for that.

He thought she was pretty too, once he actually looked at her. She had long black hair that was in a loose ponytail and had bright blue eyes that were filled with all kinds of emotions, but he just wanted her friendship.

* * *

Hours had passed by and Ritsu and Reiko were still talking to each other. There were occasional pauses of awkward silences, but it was gone usually after ten or so minutes. They were enjoying each other's company very much. 

Reiko noticed the length of time that had passed and decided to ask the person in front of her. "Excuse me? How long will it be before we reach the parlor place?"

The person calculated for a minute or two and said, "About three or more hours."

"Thanks," Reiko said, disappointed. She sat back in her seat and informed Ritsu, "We're gonna be on this bus for another three hours." She sounded like she was whining, but who could blame her? They were already on the bus for two and a half hours.

Ritsu sighed. He was disappointed as well.

_This is going to be a boring drive,_ the two thought at the same time.

It was about four so they were going to arrive at around seven. The two decided to take a break and did their own thing. Ritsu continued to read and Reiko took out her laptop and decided to listen to her music. She specifically listened to "Psycho" by Puddle of Mudd over and over again. She had headphones on so she wouldn't disturb the people around her. After about an hour she drifted off to a light sleep.

Ritsu occasionally glanced down at Reiko only to find that she was listening to loud music and was sleeping. Ritsu didn't want to wake her up though. He could understand her boredom and that she had light rings under her eyes from lack of sleep. She also looked kind of peaceful... Plus he didn't want to feel her wrath. She warned him earlier that she had anger issues.

* * *

"We're going to arrive in about half a hour," The bus driver said. 

Ritsu was relieved. He was getting tired of the bus and his body was getting kind of stiff. Of course Reiko didn't hear and continued her nap. Ritsu decided to wake her up when they arrived.

* * *

About twenty minutes later, they got pass the tall black iron gates and Ritsu saw the place. looked exactly like the picture on the brochure. The women were getting excited and had stars in their eyes. Again, Reiko was still napping. 

_It's now or never,_ Ritsu thought. He gently shook her shoulder. She mumbled something and swatted his hand away. He continued, but she didn't wake up. _What do I have to do to wake her up!_ Ritsu thought. She certainly was a heavier sleeper than him.

Ritsu decided to gently take off her head phone and try again. Right when he took off the headphones she woke up. "What's going on?" Reiko mumbled. She was obviously still half asleep.

She packed up her stuff and we walked behind the crowd of people. She was swaying a little as she walked. Not only because she just woke up, but also from the imbalance of weight from what she was carrying. She carried a big backpack, a duffel bag and a small bag that held her laptop and other things. Ritsu was mindful of her and hoped she wouldn't fall over.

They were a few feet behind the group and the door almost swung shut right on Reiko's face if it wasn't for Ritsu holding the door. Reiko was still half asleep and didn't notice a thing.

"Are you ok Reiko-san?" Ritsu asked. He was a little concerned that she didn't notice anything while she walked.

"Uh-huh," Reiko said. She yawned and spoke again. "I just didn't get much sleep last night."

They reached inside of the building and Ritsu and almost everyone else was in aw. Reiko looked like she was going to sleep standing up.

_Why am I here again?_ Reiko thought._ I wanna go home and go to sleep._

Reiko never wanted to come here in the first place. She knew she had anger problems and knew that she could be bipolar at times, but that didn't mean that her so-called 'friends' could blackmail her and force her to come here... to the 'preppy hotel' as she first called it. She could control herself if she put in the effort, which she hardly ever did.

_I hate karma, _she thought as she yawned again.

A lady that looked like in her late forties waited for us. "Welcome to the Relaxation Inn/Parlor. I am Lady Marla, your host. You will be assigned a room and possibly a roommate."

Ritsu didn't seem to worry about it. He figured that he would get his own room sense he was the only guy. He had looked around as they were walking and he confirmed that he was the only guy.

"Now come and get your key when I point to you," Lady Marla said. She randomly pointed to people and they got a key card. It had the logo and had floral patterns on it. The room number was on the back of it.

Reiko got hers twenty third. She looked so tired and trudged onward to her room.

Ritsu, however got his last. He was 245th in line. He took the elevator to the top floor and then walked through the dark hallways until he saw the gold number eighty-four. He got in his new room and turned on the light.

Immediately he spotted someone breathing under the covers on one of the bed. Ritsu placed his stuff down by the other bed and carefully went to see who his roommate was. Before he even touched the blankets he heard faint music and Reiko's face popped up in his thoughts. The covers covered all of the person's face. He gently lifted the blankets and, indeed, it was Reiko.

**The End of Chapter 2**

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Hilo again! So what did you all think? Please let me know on what I need to improve on. I would love your reviews stating that. 

Here's a quote:

"Who was the first person to say, 'See that chicken there... I'm gonna eat the next thing that comes outta its ass!'"


	3. You're a Guy!

Hilo everyone! I'm sorry I haven't updated this story in a while. It's like my writing employee in my brain got sick and the other writing employee was writing another and completely different story. This happens all the time... the sad thing is I lost that story after I wrote over two pages, sheets of paper or whatever you want to call it. I get confused on that. Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter. I really hope that it doesn't suck.

Please review. If you have any ideas for this story, especially on what sort of activities the parlor should have, please let me know. I've already thought up of a pool incident though, but that's all I have.

Here's a quote:

"Idiots are people who think they can survive a 1000 feet fall with a pair of underwear and a dirty towel around their neck."

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Chapter 3 

_Oh no,_ Ritsu thought. Ritsu calmed himself down before he started to panic and thought,_ I'll just let them know that I'm a man tomorrow in the morning. It's too late now. _With that he changed his clothes, brushed his teeth, etc. in the bathroom. He turned out the lights and went to bed and tried to get to sleep.

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Back at home, Shigure was going to bed himself. "Ritsu should be there by now," Shigure said to himself. He chuckled and said, "If only I could see his face."

"See who's face?" Tohru asked, overhearing the last part. She was confused, but she held a curious smile. She was just getting a glass of water. She was in her light pink nightgown and her brown hair wasn't in a ponytail or pigtails or anything.

Shigure jumped slightly and made up an excuse, "N-nothing. I was just thinking of something in one of my books, that's all." Shigure had a smile on his face, trying to get Tohru to get back in bed. "Really, it's nothing. You have nothing to worry about. It's really late, you should get to bed."

"Mmm, alright. Good night Shigure-san," Tohru said. She went to her room and got in bed for some sleep.

"That was close," Shigure said to himself. _Still... If only I could see your face Ritsu,_ Shigure thought with a sly smile. With that thought at a close, he got into his bed and went to sleep, still smiling with that sly, secretive smile of his. Even as he convinced himself that everything was perfect, he couldn't help but think that he forgot about something.

* * *

It was a really bright morning and Ritsu awoke to the sounds of birds chirping. Ritsu almost forgot where he was and sat up on the bed.

Reiko was on her laptop again, typing up something. "Morning," she said, her eyes were focusing on the screen.

"Good morning, Reiko-san," Ritsu replied. He looked over at the clock and it was barely seven. Reiko looked like she had been awake for a while. "What time did you get up?"

"Mmm, 3:30, I think," she said. Her eyes were still focusing on the screen.

Ritsu was shocked a little and said, "You should get some more sleep."

"What do you expect?" Reiko asked in a sarcastic tone. "I fell asleep on the bus and I went back to sleep at 8:45."

"I'm sorry I asked-" Ritsu said, about to panic.

"DON'T apologize!" Reiko ordered. She felt herself getting mad so she closed her laptop and got out of bed. She got out one of her bags and said, "I'm taking a shower." She got out her bathroom necessities and walked in the bathroom.

While Reiko was in the bathroom, he took his chance to get dressed into his kimono. He chose a forest green kimono with a lighter shade of green leaves on the hem of his sleeves and a deep golden sash. While in the midst of taking off his night shirt, Reiko forgot her brush and stepped out of the bathroom and froze.

"Y-you're a-a guy?!" She asked in surprise.

Ritsu jumped in surprise and went into panic mode. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! I should have just asked Lady Marla to give me another room, but it was so late and I was sure she was asleep by the time I found out you were my roommate last night! Not that I'm not grateful, but we have different genders and there could be complications! I'm sorry! I'm sorry to the world! I'm so-"

Reiko got mad more quickly than ever and automatically snapped. "STOP FUCKING APOLOGIZING!!!"

Ritsu went quiet with only whimpers. He had tears in his eyes and was shaking uncontrollably. He was so scared.

Reiko took another second to look at Ritsu and sighed. "Sorry, I'm sorry," she said as she pinched the bridge of her nose and took deep breaths. When she calmed down enough she asked, "Ok, why are you here?"

"M-my cousin sent me here," Ritsu said, still a little frightened, "as a gift and..."

"What?" Reiko asked. She was getting mad again. She thought 'gift' was in another meaning. A perverted meaning. She was getting angrier as seconds passed.

Ritsu caught his mistake and said, "No, no. It's nothing perverted or anything of the sort. I came here just to relax. I promise. The trip itself was the gift." Ritsu was getting more nervous and scared as she got more angry with him.

Reiko took a few deep breaths and calmed down a little. "Ok, I'll believe you since you seem nice," she said while thinking, _... and too pathetic to defend yourself. _"You do know that this place is for WOMEN ONLY, right?" She asked.

Ritsu's eyes widened and looked confused. "But the brochure...," he said, remembering that he didn't get a good look at it in the first place.

Reiko got out her brochure and pointed to the back of it. In bold, underlined, red capital letters it said, "**NO MEN!!!**"

Ritsu paled and had his mouth hanging open. By the expression on his face, she could tell that he had never seen it before. "You do know what'll happen if they find out you're a guy, right?" Reiko asked.

Ritsu paled even more from hearing that. "No. What will they do? It was a simple mistake."

"They'll arrest you for impersonating a woman and be accused of illegal video taping or making some sort of porn video or pictures," Reiko said.

"Arrested?!" Ritsu yelled. "I can't be arrested! Shigure-niisan wouldn't let me get arrested! He couldn't! It was probably just another trick for me! He-"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Reiko said, interrupting him. "Hold up and start over. Tell me everything from the beginning. If it really is a mistake then you won't get in as much trouble." Reiko saw that he was hyperventilating and said, "And take a slow breath first."

Ritsu's face was red from embarrassment, shame and panic. He took a breath and told her everything, starting from Shigure's call.

"So this cousin of yours, Shigure, tricked you into coming here to 'relax'?" Reiko asked. _Shigure Sohma... Why does that name sound so familiar?_

"Yes," Ritsu said as he looked down in shame. _I'm so stupid! How could I have been so foolish enough to fall for another of his pranks?_

"Alright, Ive decided to help you," Reiko said.

Ritsu looked at Reiko and said, "But-"

"If you start putting yourself down and apologize I'm gonna slap you across the face," Reiko said, looking dead serious. Ritsu stayed quiet. "You don't really have a choice at the moment anyway because once those gates close, they are closed and you're too nice of a person to get arrested so I'm gonna help you for these upcoming nine months."

"Really?" Ritsu asked. Again, someone he hardly knew was being incredibly kind to him. It was... nice. It felt nice to be cared for, but... "But I don't want to be a burden to someone as nice as you," Ritsu said.

Reiko had a tinge of pink splashed on her cheeks from the compliment. "Don't worry about it. To tell you the truth, you're the only person that seems interesting here and if I lose you I'm just gonna go nuts and more angry."

"W-what? Really?" Ritsu asked. He felt a lot happier.

"Yeah," Reiko shrugged.

"Oh thank you! I promise I won't trouble you at all!"

Reiko quickly turned around and said, "Yeah, ok, whatever." Reiko felt herself turn red. She got her brush and said, "I'm gonna go take a shower now." She went to the bathroom as casually as she could muster.

Ritsu hurried up and got dressed and waited so he could use the bathroom.

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The end of Chapter 3 

Hilo again! How was it? I know I overdid it in Ritsu and he was most likely out of character and I apologize for that. Damn... I'm sounding a little like Ritsu... eh it happens.

Please review!

Here's another quote:

"I used to eat a lot of natural foods until I learned that most people die from natural causes.


	4. Lady Marla

Hilo everyone! I apologize that I haven't updated on this story in a while. I have five stories going on at the same time and... bleh. You all get it.

Please review. I'm desperate here! If you have any ideas that would be awesome! Are there any activities you can think of for the Relaxation Inn/Parlor? Especially something that Ritsu can do without revealing that he's a guy.

Here's a quote:

"Distractions are goo- OOOOO SHINY!!!"

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Chapter 4 

As soon as Ritsu and Reiko finished their morning routines they set out to the cafeteria for breakfast which started an hour before. Reiko was still not very comfortable with the information that Ritsu was officially a guy, but she trusted him more than anyone else in the preppy hotel. She still kept thinking of how 'Shigure Sohma' could possibly be a familiar name.

_I know I've heard that name somewhere before,_ she thought, _but where? _Once the scent of gourmet cooked food hit her nose she left it alone for another day. A lot of the women were already up and the food was organized like a buffet. There were meat, seafood, vegetarian and drink aisles.

"Wow," Reiko said.

"Is it too much for a simpleton such as yourself, Rasoshi-san?" Lady Marla asked. She stood behind the pair elegantly. Reiko and Ritsu turned around to meet her eyes and Reiko's eyes widened in shock.

_Shit. Damn. Fuck, _Reiko began the string of curses in her head. _How did I not notice that SHE was here?... I was probably asleep when I got the keys or something._

Lady Marla sighed in disappointment and said, "You can't even dress appropriately for such an occasion."

Reiko narrowed her eyes a little and said, "It's just breakfast. What's so special about breakfast?" Lady Marla met her challenge by squinting her eyes, making her crow's feet more apparent.

Ritsu was getting a little confused. He agreed with Reiko on the breakfast attire, but it just seemed to go deeper than that than simple clothes.

Lady Marla walked closer to them and placed a light hand on Ritsu's shoulder. "You should dress more like this young lady right here."

Ritsu flinched and turned red. "Oh Lady Marla-dono! I don't deserve such praise!" No one heard him. He wanted to step away, but that would be rude and he didn't want her, Lady Marla, to get mad.

Reiko, on the other hand, wanted to laugh because of the fact that Ritsu wasn't the 'young lady' that Lady Marla expected 'her' to be. She was, however, still a little steamed that she insulted her just because of how she dressed. She was wearing dark blue jeans that hugged her hips but the leggings were a little long and were loose. She wore a skin tight black turtleneck shirt and white running shoes. Her hair was in a messy bun with some tendrils hanging, shaping her face. She couldn't see how it was so bad. It was just breakfast.

Lady Marla eyed the little smile Reiko was giving and calmly walked away into the hall.

When she was out of sight, Ritsu let out his held breath. Lady Marla's hand was ghostly and so light that he had chills running up and down his spine. In fact, she scared him a little. He looked at Reiko and asked, "What was that all about?"

Reiko had a wide smirk on her face when Lady Marla left. She had won that small challenge for now. Reiko looked at Ritsu, still holding the smirk which Ritsu was questioning. Reiko shrugged, losing the smirk, and said, "Nothing."

Ritsu didn't entirely believe it, but it was probably nothing to worry about.

"C'm on. Let's get some food," Reiko said, walking toward the vegetarian aisle.

* * *

About ten minutes later, Reiko and Ritsu sat down with their plate of food. Reiko got some salad with blue cheese, half a grapefruit, and cooked shrimp in tofu. It was a mixed culture type of food. Ritsu got a bowl of cornflakes (I'm sorry but I have no clue on what kind of food he would like for breakfast or any other meal for that matter). They both got a glass of orange juice.

They sat in a table in the far corner so they could talk in private while the room was filling up with primped up women.

"You might need to change your name," Reiko started off bluntly.

"Don't they keep records or something?" Ritsu asked with his eyes widened.

"Nah. They only care about the money and our reviews so they can get more money," Reiko said taking a bite of spinach from her salad. After she swallowed she asked sarcastically, "How do you think you got here so easily?" She took another bite of her salad.

Ritsu sighed and knew it was going to be difficult to get used to everything. "Ok, so what should I change my name to?" He didn't like the idea of changing his name, even if he thought he defiled it, but it made sense.

Reiko looked at Ritsu for a few seconds and simply said, "Hotaru."

"Hotaru? Why Hotaru?" He asked. He was quite curious as to why Reiko had chosen that particular name. He didn't see how it could fit him. He always thought that he was more of a 'Shizuka.' Or at least that's what Kagura said.

"You'll know at the end of the nine months," Reiko said, continuing to eat.

Ritsu was disappointed. He took a bite of his cereal, sweetened with a little bit of sugar. _I hope I don't shame this knew name,_ he thought.

* * *

When the room was filled with the rest of the giddy women, Lady Marla stood up on the stage and spoke into the microphone. "Welcome ladies to the Relaxation Inn/Parlor. I hope you are all enjoying your morning meal," she said with polite smile on her elderly face. "After you have finished your meal we will be discussing what we will be doing throughout the nine months. We will meet in the sitting room," she said pointing to the door. "Please come when you have finished."

Reiko rolled her eyes in disgust and sighed at the thought of the horror that was approaching._ Of all the people to host this preppy hotel, SHE had to be the one,_ she thought.

"Are you alright Reiko-san?" Ritsu asked, noticing her depressed expression.

Reiko studied Ritsu's face for a few seconds and said, "I'll tell you when we get beck to our room."

The two finished their breakfast and went to the 'sitting room.' The room looked more like an auditorium. The name, obviously trying to make it more casual, was a failure. Reiko and Ritsu sat in the back, waiting for the boring and horrible speech that Lady Marla obviously said in front of her mirror for countless hours everyday for a few weeks, with no other people's opinion.

When the 'sitting room' was filled with the other overly excited women a light turned on on center stage. Lady Marla gracefully walked under the bright light.

The old lady smiled and said, "Welcome ladies, welcome. I am sure that you are all very excited for the upcoming nine months."

The women clapped excitedly and some whistled, while Ritsu clapped politely. Reiko, in a monotone voice, said, "Whoo."

"Quiet now, quiet," Lady Marla said, trying to hush everyone. "Today we will take a confession break, go to lunch, break off into groups and take a tour of the entire campus, but before we get to all that, there are a few simple rules you must follow while staying here."

"Of course," Ritsu heard Reiko mumble. He couldn't understand how she could not enjoy the seemingly wonderful place that they were in. He could understand that she didn't like Lady Marla- he didn't either- but that shouldn't ruin the experience.

"Number 1," Lady Marla announced, "Dress semi-formally at ALL meals." Lady Marla eyed the crowd.

Reiko slumped in her seat and covered her face with the journal that she brought with her. Ritsu had sympathy for her, remembering what Lady Marla had said earlier. It was probably a rule because of her.

"Number 2: Behave yourselves at all times.

Number 3: No profanity."

"That's gonna be a problem," Reiko mumbled.

"Number 4: You will attend to you schedule at all times.

Number 5: If you do not obey all of these rules you will have chores to do.

And number 6: Have fun," she finished with a smile.

"Now," she said, "your schedule will depend on what type of problems you have so let's start the confession break. I want you all to say your name clearly and say what you think you have problems with yourself." There was a pause. "Why don't we start with you Rasoshi-san?"

A spotlight turned on and pointed right at Reiko. She slapped her forehead and mumbled, "Crap."

"No profanity," Lady Marla said suddenly. "You will wash the dishes tonight."

Reiko gaped and mumbled, "Damn."

"Two nights."

"Shi-shoot!" Reiko said aloud, catching herself before she earned a third night. Most of the women were giggling and Ritsu could tell that she didn't like it one bit. Reiko's jaws were clenched and she had to take calming breaths. She sat up and said, "I'm Rei-"

"What do we say first?" Lady Marla asked sternly. Her foot was tapping, creating an echo.

Reiko thought back and said, "Hello. My name is Reiko Rasoshi and I have anger management problems and I have a low self esteem."

"Next," Lady Marla said. She wave her hand and the spotlight moved to Ritsu.

Ritsu was binded for a second and got really nervous. Everyone was looking at him. "H-hello. M-my name is R-"

Reiko jabbed his arm with her elbow. Reiko wrote 'Hotaru' on a piece of paper in her journal so Ritsu could see.

"My name is Hotaru Sohma and I also have a low self esteem."

"Good, next," Lady Marla said, waving her arm so the spotlight moved to the next person.

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The End of Chapter 4 

Hilo again! My mom's boyfriend wants the computer so I'm going to end it here. Please review and give me some ideas or inspiration... something! Anything!

I hope you liked this chapter though.

Here's a quote:

"It's better to be at the right hand of the devil than in his path. Until he starts killing the helpers. Then you're fucked."


	5. Family Battles

Hilo everyone! I'm really sorry that I haven't updated in a while. Again, if there are any activities in the Relaxation Inn/Parlor that you think Ritsu could do without revealing his secret please let me know. I'll be sure to give credit to those who do give out ideas.

Here's a quote: 123

"I'm not short. I'm just unusually not tall."

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Chapter 5

Several hours later, when everyone was finished with their 'confession,' it was about time for lunch. Reiko stood up from her chair and saw that Ritsu had fallen asleep with his head resting on his hand. The only reason Reiko didn't fall asleep was because she was writing in her journal. She never left without it, and if she did it was only because she had her ipod with her.

"C'mon Rit-er Hotaru. Wake up," Reiko said, gently shaking Ritsu's shoulder.

Ritsu woke up almost immediately and then stifled a soft yawn behind a hand. It seemed so 'womanly' to Reiko. They both stood up and got out.

"I have to go change before I get a third night of chores. If you want me to answer any of your questions then now would be the perfect time."

Ritsu agreed and so they hurried back up to their room.

While walking Reiko was thinking and came up with a conclusion. _He's the first totally feminine guy I have ever known. He's got to be gay. _She inconspicuously took a good look at him. His eyes were wandering the halls so he didn't know. Reiko took note of his hair, his skin and, when she got a chance, his eyes, but then he caught her.

"Is there something wrong Reiko-san?"

Reiko turned a little pink and tried to glare through it. "No."

He flinched a little and looked the other way, only slightly noticing that she was blushing.

It seemed like forever until they reached their room. Reiko hurried and opened up her duffel bag and threw some random articles of clothes on the bed. She found what she was looking for and hurried to the bathroom to change while Ritsu waited patiently for her return.

"Damn it Okashi!" Reiko yelled. Something was wrong.

Ritsu stared wide-eyed at the door, just feeling the murderous vibe just behind the door.

After a few seconds Reiko came out as calm as she could muster. She got out her small bag with her laptop and reached for her cell phone. She looked through her contacts and called it. She had her arm crossed across her chest, waiting patiently for Okashi to answer.

_I wonder what's wrong this time?_Ritsu thought. He looked at her glaring intensely at the wall. All he knew was that she was mad again. He knew he had to be careful not to anger her even more or else she might take out her anger on him. He took note of the dress that she wore. It was a simple velvet dress . It was long sleeved and it wasn't low cut, but it wasn't at her neck, and it went down to the middle of her thigh. She also wore black shorts underneath it, but it was hardly noticeable. He thought that she looked pretty good in it.

Reiko waited while it rung a few times. Finally someone picked up.

"Hello?" Asked the person on the other line.

"Okashi, I'm gonna beat the--"

"Oh that's right it's the answering machine. Well I'm not here right now so leave your name, number and message after the beep." There was a beep.

"Get rid of that stupid answering machine message thingy and pick up your god damned phone! You are so going to get it when I get back. I'm gonna wring both your necks and barry you two in the city dump!" She shut her cell phone and threw it against the bed.

"I-Is something the m-matter R-Reiko-san?"

Reiko took a deep breath, almost instantly calming down. "Oh, nothing. My friend, Okashi, thought it woud be funny to make my dress high cut." (is that how you say it?)

"Oh, um ok?" Ritsu said, not quite sure what to say. _I guess thinking that it looked good was a bad thought? _He thought. He knew he would never understand the mind of a female, but in the whole living with several for nine months would be very helpful.

Reiko took another breath, sat down on her bed and asked, "So you wanted to know why I especially hate this place?"

"Yes?" Ritsu said. It would allow him to understand more about what's going on in Reiko's head. And that itself would be great help.

"Ok," Reiko said trying to think of where to start. She looked down at her hands in her lap and started. "When I was around thirteen my mom died from accidental overdose. It was just the mixture of pain meds and cold syrup that did her in, so it wasn't really an overdose.

"A lot of people a questioned if I was going to be alright because my dad was taking care of me. He was a construction worker and a tattoo artist on the side. The tattoo artist part seemed to leave a bad impression on most of my mom's side of the family, but to make things worse, he also did drugs. To be truthful I wanted to stay with my dad. He wasn't a bad guy at all, he just had a few bad habits.

"I was placed in a foster home until the entire ordeal was over and I could live with family again. My dad was a fighter, but because of his background he lost after a few weeks. That's when the horror started. I had to live with Lady Marla."

"What? Lady Marla?" Ritsu was shocked and so confused.

"Lady Marla is my Aunt on my mom's side. From that point on, everything I thought I knew changed. She dictated my high school years. I had to go to a private school and I had to learn how to be a 'Proper Lady.' I was willing to pretend to be obedient so I could see my dad again. He said that he would change so I could go back to him, but they all left out something.

"I overheard 'Aunt' Marla on the phone one night and it sounded kind of malicious. I carefully picked up a phone in another room and silently listened to the conversation. She was talking to my dad which was why it sounded malicious; she hated him.

"She said that she would get a restraining order against him so that I would never see him again. Said that I needed to be a 'Proper Lady' so I could be washed clean of any traces of filth that he put on me. That's when I knew that I was never going to see my dad again.

"That's when I started being who I am today. I was so angry. I told myself that if I was to never be what she wanted me to be then she would give me up and I would have a greater chance of seeing my dad again. That didn't exactly work though. She never gave up and instead she tried even harder to change who I was and in the end I gave up.

"I started a plan though. As soon as I graduated from the privated school, I would find him since she could no longer keep me on her leash. I studied hard and got into honors classes. When I finally graduated I packed up and left without a word. She was yelling at me and telling me that I would regret going back, but I didn't care.

"I retraced back to the apartment I used to live and I went to the room I used to live in. I knocked on the door several times only to find out that it was a stranger. I asked him where my dad was and he didn't know. He had been living there for two and a half years. I went to ask the manager of the apartment and he said that he had committed suicide three and a half years before." Reiko had tears in her eyes, but she tried her hardest to hold them in. The fact that she had to suffer and when she was finally free, her hard work and endurance came crashing down. The fact that no one had told her and that she had to find out that way made her unbearably sad, angry, empty and alone.

"I was so angry at everything, especially at Lady Marla. I went back to her and yelled at her and I threatened to kill her. I broke a few vases and recked everything. She called the police and I went to prison for a year. Vandelism, violence, attempted murder (which was bullshit), etc. I learned a lot there actually." She started to smile a little.

"I had met some of my dad's female friends, which included Okashi, who had heard all about the entire situation. They were actually glad that I had recked the place, but they knew that my temper would get me into huge trouble so they helped me get it under control.

"No one visited me except for Lady Marla one time. She taunted me and insulted me on how I was becoming exactly like my dad. I wanted to kill her right where she sat, but I knew that I would get into even more trouble and that she would win if I so much as made a death threat to her. Yes, I liked being like my dad, but not like this, not going to prison or doing drugs or anything. I gave up and walked away from her. When I got back to my knew friends they were in between proud and disappointed. Proud that I didn't get myself in trouble, but disappointed because I didn't sit and stare right through her instead of run away from her.

"Some of my friends got out of jail because they had served their time. They all were in there for possession of drugs for the umptieth time so it wasn't really a big deal. Okashi and I were left and we got to go out together. She took me in so I wouldn't get into any trouble and because I didn't have anywhere to go. She said that she would give up the drugs so we would have enough money to survive. I got a job and helped her around and here I am." She looked at Ritsu for the first time since she started her story. Of course she left out some details that he didn't need to know. She thought for sure that he would judge her and just throw her away like so many people did, but she saw something different in his eyes.

Ritsu was just staring at Reiko. He thought about what she had to go through and how the result was nicer than he thought it would be. If he had first heard the story without even getting to know Reiko then he would have been afraid of her and avoided her. The thing she didn't want and he would have done it. That wasn't the case though. He could see that she was trying to get things straight and be a better person.

He would have never suspected that Lady Marla was her aunt either. He thought about that morning and how she promised to help him. He figured that she would need just as much help from him just as much and she was going to help him.

He didn't exactly know what to say, but he couldn't help smiling at Reiko. Then someone's stomach was growling rather loudly.

Reiko turned red and turned away from him, holding her stomach.

"How about we go to lunch Reiko-san?" Ritsu suggested.

Reiko was glad that Ritsu had decided to still be her friend. "Ok Ritsu-san."

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Hilo again! The beginning of the chapter was cruddy, but I couldn't think of anything else. I made it work though. I hope you all liked this chapter and I hope this explains Reiko's anger problems well enough. Tell me what you think please.

Here's a quote:

"Nice face, but what are you going to do when the babboon wants his ass back?"


	6. author note

Hilo everyone. I'm really sorry, but it is going to be a while before I update on Autophobia or R I P so don't really bother waiting for the next chapter for a few or more months. I'm on a huge writers block thing and now I'm behind on a couple of oneshots that needs typing. However, I'm going to be starting to type up the sequel to What's Perfection? in a few months, as soon as I've got a few more pages written down and my oneshots typed up. Again, I'm really sorry. I'm probably going to print out the stories, delete it from here and continue to write if that's what I have to do. STUPID WRITERS BLOCK!!

So, yeah. However, after the sequel I have another Fruits Basket story involving AyamexHatori. - It'll be interesting. I'll try my best with EVERYTHING. If you want to check out some of my other stuff look at quizilla. Username there is IronyOfHate. if that doesn't work look up ''Cupid Needs To Die," it's a poem.

I'm really sorry DX


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